Artist Bio - John MacLeod

John MacLeod's passion for the Old West started as a boy growing up in the Midwest. Young MacLeod grew up in the golden era of TV Westerns watching with cowboy hat on and cap guns strapped to his sides. The best was yet to come when his dad returned from a business trip with a western leather vest as a gift. MacLeod still has that vest today in his Arizona home.

A long time woodworker and carver, MacLeod became involved with the sport of Cowboy Action Shooting in the late 1990s. Admiring other participant's leather gear he tried his hand at making his own belt and holsters. Soon he began creating spur straps, knife sheaths, scabbards, wrist cuffs, chaps, chinks and more; it wasn't long before his shooting friends began asking MacLeod to make leather work for them too.

Encouragement from friends in galleries and mentors such as Chuck "Winterheart" Reddick led MacLeod to turn his considerable talents to the creation of Native American-style pieces with their emphasis on artistry and color. "It gave me a chance to work with different types of leather - such as soft leathers from deer, elk, and buffalo, and beads, horsehair, trade cloths, paints and pigments."

With all hand-sewing, beading and painting, MacLeod now works on his craft from his home studio up to six or seven days per week at times. Using many traditional methods and materials MacLeod now creates one-of-a-kind Native American-inspired artifacts including ceremonial war shirts, shields, shield covers, horse masks, dresses, bags, and many other items. Depending on a piece's complexity, an item can take from two and a half to four weeks to complete.